Have you ever heard of kids making some cash on the side, simply by studying? Well, it’s happening and we’ll tell you how. High schools in Virginia Beach are offering cash incentives to students as well as teachers for receiving good grades on their Advanced Placement exams.

As unbelievable as it might sound, it’s really true. The first few schools to adopt this new technique to get kids back to their books are Salem and Green Run High Schools. Apparently, a pat on the back just won’t do it anymore. A student can receive up to $100 for each AP exam on which they score 3, 4 or 5, on a five point scale.

You must be wondering how the schools are raising the money to do this. Well, the word that’s out for now is that a privately backed grant is helping to pay for all the cash awards. Salem High Schools has partnered with the National Math and Science Initiative. Of course, a majority of the award money would go towards the AP exam fee itself, leaving the student recipient with all of $20.

Advanced Placement courses are said to be quite rigorous, preparing students for what they will have to take on in college. And the awards are just a way to encourage students to take on more rigorous work, according to AP Chemistry teacher at Salem High, Patty Cook.

The budget set aside for the private grant also makes way for more teaching supplies and teachers to undergo further training. Kellam High and five other schools on the peninsula are recipients of this grant.

It does seem like a brilliant idea to get kids to take a serious interest in academics. The long-term implications of paying kids to study, however, remains to be seen.